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WUHAN - China has begun research and development on a new "super-speed" railway technology, an official with China's Ministry of Railways (MOR) said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the 400-500 km/h high-speed railway technology is in its final phase of development and the 380-km/h trains are already coming off production lines, He added.
As of September, China had put into service 7,055 kilometers of high-speed railway tracks - the longest in the world - and that is expected to reach hit 13,000 kilometers by 2012.
"We aim to lead the world in high-speed railway construction," said He.
In September, the China-made CRH380A train hit a speed of 416.6 kilometers per hour on a test run to set a new world train speed record.
High-speed train run at a speeds in excess of 200 kilometers per hour. Their use is rapidly expanding in China as the country strives to relieve pressures on its transportation systems.